Meet Igor: the shelter dog dubbed ‘cursed Victorian child’ on the brink of adoption

When animal shelters present their dogs for adoption, they generally boost their best traits: sweet, gentle, playful, good with kids. Then came Igor.

“Ever wanted to adopt a sentient middle finger wrapped in a cloud of fur?” reads a Facebook post from Renegade Paws Rescue in Savannah, Georgia. “Meet Igor. We have reason to believe he’s a cursed Victorian child masquerading as a 10lb stuffed animal.”

He wasn’t born, the post claims - he simply appeared.

“This dog does not want to go to the dog park or to brunch. He wants your ex-boyfriend’s head on a platter,” it reads. “And that mean girl in high school who said you were ugly? He’s putting her soul through a meat grinder.”

The shelter tried to train him, the post says, but Igor made the trainer cry.

“Igor wants you,” the post continues. “He’ll plan evil schemes with a dog sibling or two. But he doesn’t want too many friends and he might need an exorcism if you bring that nice golden retriever from down the street over for a playdate.”

Simply put, “Igor is not a good boy,” the post reads. “Igor is an experience.”

Yet, apparently, many potential adopters are eager to experience all that Igor has to offer. Shortly after the rescue shared Igor’s adoption post on Facebook on July 7, it went viral with thousands of likes, comments and shares. Dozens of adoption requests poured in.

“I’m pretty sure I just found my soulmate,” one person commented on Facebook.

“I see no red flags here,” wrote another.

“Nobody expected it to get that big,” said Jennifer Taylor, founder and director of Renegade Paws Rescue. “It just blew up.”

The post was written by the rescue’s team of social media volunteers, who often lead with humor in describing their adoptable dogs.

“We have to see a lot of sadness every single day,” Taylor said. “Sometimes, we just need a laugh.”

Plus, she said, the strategy has proved effective.

“We make posts like that all the time to make people laugh and draw attention to the dogs that need it,” Taylor said.

Igor’s fame quickly spread beyond social media, landing him a feature on Savannah’s WSAV News 3 and an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show - which involved a trip to New York City. Igor was mostly behaved during his travels, Taylor said, aside from a minor mishap at the airport, when he growled at a Transportation Security Administration agent.

He gave “side-eye and all the sass,” Taylor said.

Although the Facebook post may have taken some liberties, Taylor said that it accurately captures Igor’s true essence.

“He is a grouchy old man,” Taylor said. “He doesn’t want anybody on his lawn. He wants to do what he wants to do, and he doesn’t want you to tell him what to do.”

Igor arrived at the rescue May 13 from a rural county in Georgia. He and five other dogs were removed from a “hoarding situation,” Taylor said, noting that Igor is probably a Pomeranian-Chihuahua mix and is about 5 years old.

“They were all pretty scared when they came in,” Taylor said.

But Igor had no fear. In fact, he was the one who scared people.

“If he doesn’t know you, he doesn’t want you to touch him,” Taylor said. “He is a sassy boy.”

A few days after Igor arrived at the rescue - which operates its own shelter - Kerry Farinha signed up to be his foster. Right away, Farinha saw his fiery streak and devilish nature.

“I knew from the beginning he had a lot of personality,” Farinha said. “He gives major side-eye, major attitude and lots of growling, lots of barking.”

“He’ll make it known if he’s not happy,” Farinha said.

While Igor warmed up to Farinha, “he did not like my husband. He still does not like my husband,” she said. “Any new stranger that comes into our life, he is not a big fan.”

Farinha said the adoption post is “pretty accurate.”

Still, she described Igor as a complex character. While he isn’t shy about throwing shade, he’s also generous with affection - but only if he likes you.

“When he’s with the right person, he’s a little sweetheart,” Farinha said. “He’ll kiss me, he’ll snuggle with me. He follows me everywhere.”

Igor also has a silly side: He often buries himself under blankets and jumps out, seemingly trying to spook people. He enjoys rolling around in the grass on his back.

“He looks like a little gremlin,” said Farinha, who has two other dogs, Gary and Jenny. “He is very funny.”

Farinha contemplated adopting Igor but decided he wasn’t the right long-term fit given his deep disdain for her husband. She believes Igor would be best suited to a single owner with one or two other dogs.

Or, as the shelter put it, “his adoption requirements include at least one human who finds small, emotionally stunted men ‘intriguing.’”

Thankfully, Farinha said, there is no shortage of people who want Igor, or at least want to meet him. Comments continue to pour in on the Facebook post:

“I’ve never wanted a handsome little man more.”

“I would sell my soul to Igor.”

“Brb, driving across the country to meet this legend.”

When he finally is adopted, letting him go is “going to break my heart,” Farinha said.

Renegade Paws Rescue encourages fosters to help choose the adopters of the dogs they take in, as they usually come to know the pups well. Farinha has narrowed down the long list of applications to four and hopes that Igor will settle into his new home in the coming weeks.

“He deserves the best home,” Farinha said. “I know the person who ends up with him will be in love with him as well.”